Mashal Rizvi didn't have to think twice about rushing into a burning building tosave her pet birds.To her, not rushing in would have beenunthinkable."If your kids were in the house, would you do the same thing?,"she said. "The birds are my everything. They're my family."Rizvi, 23, whois studying to be a veterinarian at Howard Community College, works as aveterinary technician at VCA North Rockville Animal Hospital in Rockville.On Oct. 16 at about 4 p.m., she returned to her North Laurel house in the11000 block of Birchtree Lane, where she lives with her parents and other familymembers. She was the only one home at the time.Rizvi turned on the TV andcaught up on "Grey's Anatomy," then started watching a movie version of "A Taleof Two Cities."A few minutes into the movie, she heard a loud pop comingfrom the sunroom, next to the family room where she was watchingtelevision."My parrots started screaming," she said.Rizvi ran into thesunroom and saw the air conditioning unit on fire. She grabbed the cordlessphone and called 911.The fire started spreading quickly, so she picked up acage with two cockatiels in it and carried it outside to the deck behind thesunroom.Rizvi ran back into the sunroom and saw the fire had spread to thecarpet. She pulled two of her eclectus parrots from a large cage, which was toocumbersome to haul outside, took the birds outside and set them on top of thecockatiel cage.

Rescuing 'my baby'

She then remembered that she had one cockatiel left -- upstairs in her room."She's my baby," Rizvi recalled. "I ran back through the sunroom, throughthe foyer and up the stairs. I had to act really fast, because that fire wasburning really, really fast."Upstairs, she grabbed the bird and tucked it inher pocket. Then she headed back downstairs.When she got downstairs, Rizvifaced a wall of smoke blocking her from going back out through the sunroom."There was a thick cloud of smoke," she said. "I had to duck and run out thefront door. There was no way I was going to be able to go out of the sunroom."She made it to the front door and then tore around the back to the deck.One parrot was still on the cage, but the other was missing. She called theparrot's name and the parrot came running toward her."She screamed once. Shegave a little yell and started running towards me," she said.Soon after, thefire trucks arrived, she said."If I hadn't gone and got the birds theywould have died because that fire spread so fast," she said.

Not recommended

Anna Hoffmann, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Department of Fire and RescueServices, confirmed the unusual bird rescue at the Rizvi house.But she saidit was not something the fire department recommends."While this had apositive outcome, it doesn't always happen that way," Hoffmann said. Herrecommendation: "Notify a firefighter."About 50 firefighters responded tothe fire at about 6 p.m. and had it out by 6:24 p.m., Hoffmann said. The firecaused about $250,000 worth of damage, she added.The house's kitchen,family room and sunroom were destroyed by the fire, and there was extensivesmoke damage throughout the house, Rizvi said.The family has moved out ofthe house while it is being repaired.Rizvi's father, Jaffer Rizvi, said heknows that his daughter loves birds. Still, he has doubts about the wisdom ofher actions that day."I don't know if it's a smart thing to do," hesaid.His daughter has no such doubts."I wouldn't be able to live withmyself if I hadn't," she said.